EastEnders 11th January 2018

Mel Owen makes her return to Walford, but why is she back? The Ahmed family is thrown into turmoil, leaving Masood feeling guilty.

EastEnders

30 Minute Drama United Kingdom

EastEnders is a long-running British soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since 1985. Set in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives in Albert Square. The series was initially screened as two 30-minute episodes per week; however, since 2001, episodes have been broadcast every day apart from Wednesdays and weekends. Same-day repeats of the series were previously shown on BBC Three and omnibus editions were shown on BBC Two, however, since 2016 these have been broadcast on UK-based TV channel W.

Within eight months of the show's launch, it reached the number-one spot in BARB's TV ratings and has consistently remained among the top-rated TV programmes in Britain. In 2013, the average audience share for an episode was around 30 per cent. Today, EastEnders remains a significant programme in terms of the BBC's success and audience share, and also in the history of British television drama, tackling many dilemmas that are considered to be controversial and taboo issues in British culture and social life previously unseen on United Kingdom mainstream television.